


Little One

by NoblehouseofTargaryen (Captain_Shep)



Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Married Couple, Married Inquisitor, Post canon, Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition, Pregnant Inquisitor, So Married, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-18 07:33:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3561425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_Shep/pseuds/NoblehouseofTargaryen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ellandra's perfect little surprise for Cullen and his journey into the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little One

i.

Ellandra groans, trying to stave off nausea as she slumps over slightly next to the campfire. She feels Cole’s eyes watching her carefully, and knows immediately the young man’s trying not to blurt something out. She sighs ruefully and looks up at him, raking her auburn curls back from her forehead. “Go on then Cole.” She sighs, smiling slightly when he perks up, his mouth curling upwards.

“She is the world, the sun, everything glows when she speaks. So small, fragile, breakable, but full of hope. It loves you already.” Cole’s eyes drop quickly when confusion runs over her features, before giving way to curiosity. Dorian cocks his head at Cole, trying to figure out the meaning behind the boy’s ever cryptic messages.

“Cole.” She asks carefully, not wanting to upset the boy she viewed like a son. “Who can you hear?” She leans forward slightly as Cole smiles, so bright it feels like she’s going to burst. She smiles back simply because she loves how his face lights up when he smiles.

“It’s very small, soft, silent. But it’s there.” He whispers, leaning forward to touch her stomach gently. Ellandra freezes, eyes widening as a feeling she can’t quite describe washes over her. Fear? Excitement? Trepidation? Pure unadulterated happiness? It’s everything mixed into one, and she’s never felt anything like it in her life.

Dorian’s watching her carefully, hand reaching out to touch her shoulder as her fingers reach down, fluttering over her womb. “I’m… pregnant?” she whispers, feeling a lump rise in her throat as she thinks of the perfect little angel inside her, something she and Cullen had created together.

Dorian laughs, tears in his eyes as he pulls her into a hug, she hugs him back tightly, revelling in the joy of her best friend as a disbelieving look crosses her face. Cullen would be overjoyed, he wanted nothing more than to be a father, and they’d been trying so hard these past few years.

Ellandra pulls away, still smiling like a lunatic as she brushes away tears. “We’ll leave tomorrow; my husband needs to know straight away.” Dorian nods, smiling as she laughs, clapping her hands over her mouth.

She’s never felt joy like this before.

ii.

She’s flinging herself off her horse as soon as they cross through the gates to Skyhold, Dorian calls out to scold her, but she doesn’t care. She’s sprinting off towards Cullen’s office as fast as her feet can take her, maybe sneakily jumping through the fade once or twice to get her there quicker.

She stops short at his door, taking a few deep breaths to try and quell the bright smile that threatens to break across her lips. She stands for a few seconds more, before she pushes open the door quietly, biting down gently on her lip when she sees him.

The midmorning sun beats down through the small window behind his desk, illuminating his bright swath of golden hair, curling slightly at the edges as he reads over a report in one hand, the other propping up his head as he reads, eyes running over the words, furrowing ever so slightly.

She smiles to herself, feeling her heart leap and her stomach roll. She was still madly in love with him, he still had the ability to make her blush like a small schoolgirl with a crush.

He looks up as she steps further into the room, a grin bursting onto his lips when he sees her. He throws his report down, striding across the room in three giant steps to pull her to his chest. She sighs, content, his smell surrounding her as he presses soft kisses into her hair, nuzzling his nose and sighing when she lays her head against his broad chest.

“I missed you.” He whispers, drawing her tighter against him. She grins like a fool into his tunic, curling her fingers into the soft material of the tunic he wore. He presses another kiss to her forehead as she steps back with a grin so bright it was almost blinding.

“I’ve got some news.” She whispers, reaching up to cup his cheeks in her small hands. He looks down at her quizzically as she bites down on her lip, trying to stop the large grin from breaking out across her features. She fails, dismally as she begins gigging, running her thumb over the scar on his lip.

He raises an eyebrow at her antics, making to say something, but she cuts him off with a soft kiss, her lips melding solidly against his, so soft and pliant beneath him as she runs her fingers up into his curls, pouring out every inch of love she has for him.

She pulls away, pressing their foreheads together with her eyes still closed. She can feel his confusion, his worry, but she knows its all going to disappear within seconds when she tells him.

“I’m with child.” She whispers, opening her eyes slowly.

His amber eyes widen almost comically, his bare hands coming up to cup her cheeks. His eyes rake over hers, searching for a lie, for the joke somewhere. He finds none, and instantly he’s laughing, tears of pure joy pooling in the depth of his golden eyes.

His hand runs down to cup her abdomen, his large hands fitting across her stomach as he looks down in wonder, pure amazement washing over his features as he looks back up at her smiling face, her eyes already filled with tears. He seizes her cheeks, smashing their lips together as he laughs, barely able to kiss her properly because of his joy.

When he pulls away he presses a kiss to her cheek, before he kneels down, his hands running to splay across her back, he’s level with her stomach now, where their child lays nestled within her, slowly growing, a product of their love, half of one another – a perfect little angel.

“Hello little one.” He whispers with a breathless laugh, pressing his lips to her stomach carefully, with such love she was sure she’d break from joy.

iii.

She swells in the months to come, and soon she’s unable to fight, confined to the halls of Skyhold to await their little one. Cullen fusses incessantly, overcome with nerves at the prospect of being a father. But he lavishes such affection on the two of them, always running his hands over her bump, talking to their little one and laughing when it kicks out at him.

She knows for sure that he’ll make a wonderful father, he’s already so enamoured with their child, she knows that he’ll love them with his whole heart. He’s painfully careful with her as well, always helping her to and from places, at first it was endearing, but now she finds herself annoyed, almost missing her independence from when she wasn’t swelled to the size of a Bronto.

The rest of Skyhold is buzzing with the news, her Inner Circle overjoyed as the little one grows. Blackwall carves them a massive crib, complete with Lions and Griffons flying across the bars. Josephine orders them mass amounts of clothes from Orlais, small coats embroidered with all sorts of patterns, as well as tiny booties made of raw silk. Iron Bull and his chargers rush about the keep, baby proofing almost everything, even though Ellandra laughs and tells them that their little one won’t be mobile for some time.

Ellandra jokes with Cullen at the countless noblewomen from Orlais who lament over the loss of the handsome Commander Cullen, but she secretly likes to rub it in their faces, still angered by the fact that they didn’t give up after she and Cullen had been married.

She’s simply content to sit, watching those around her laughing, watching Cullen train his recruits.

She unbelievably, unbearably happy.

iv.

She feels the pain start in the middle of the night, instantly awaking from a heavy sleep as their little one moves roughly within her. The pain is unlike anything she’s ever felt, and she knows straight away that their little one is about to make an appearance.

Cullen awakes instantly at her hushed scream of pain as another squeeze hits her. It feels as if someone is cutting into her skin, reaching in with frigid fingers to tear her skin apart slowly, layer by layer as she cries.

Her husband leaps from the bed, rushing to the guard down the steps to send for the midwives, Dorian and Cassandra, Ellandra had wanted their little one’s godparents to be there, not only to see them come into the world, but to help her through the process.

Cullen is calmer than she thought, instantly helping her out of her smalls as she cries, gasping for air as another contraction hits her. She curls in on herself, and he’s there instantly, slipping in behind her to cradle her body between his legs. She instantly latches onto his hands, her forehead resting on his neck as she tries to prepare for what’s about to happen.

Cullen whispers words of reassurance throughout the hours of torture, Dorian wipes the sweat from her brow, cooling her with icy fingers as he murmurs encouragement to her, smiling when she looks up at him with tear filled eyes, so far out of her depth as another bout of pain hits her.

She looks up at Cullen in terror as the midwife tells her its almost time to push, he smiles gently at her, though his eyes are pained, scared for her as she cries through the pain, trying to reassure himself that she’s going to be okay, that she’ll make it through this.

Cullen feels his insides squeeze in fear as she begins pushing, her screams echoing throughout Skyhold, all within coming to a complete standstill, frozen as they listen to their Inquisitor battle her way through, bringing her child into the world.

Cullen whispers against her ear, pressing kisses into her soaked hair, her trembling fingertips as she cries and screams, whispering of the first time they met, how it felt to kiss her that day on the battlements, to hold her in his arms that first time, how his heart nearly leapt from his chest when she entered the grand hall in her wedding dress.

He squeezes her hands tightly as she pushes, giving her something to ground herself as she does. “I can’t Cullen. I can’t!” she cries, sobbing into his neck as the midwife tries to coax her into one last push. Cullen’s heart squeezes painfully, wanting nothing more than to take all her pain away.

“You can my love, one more, just one more for me and then we get to meet our little one.” He whispers into her hair, smothering her with kisses as she steels herself and nods resolutely, allowing herself one last push, just one more to see her baby.

She clenches down hard on his hands, biting down hard on her lip as she pushes, feeling a huge weight leave her. She gasps out in relief as the midwife smiles and lifts her baby up, its cries filling the room as she swaddles it, before laying it down gently on her chest.

“Congratulations Inquisitor, Commander. You have a healthy baby boy.” The midwife smiles, nodding as Ellandra’s disbelieving eyes trail down to look at the little one resting against her chest. She reaches up to caress him, holding him against her with one hand, whilst the other reaches to touch his hand, so tiny it didn’t seem real.

Tears slide unrestrained down her cheeks, Cullen laughing and crying behind her as he reaches down to run his finger over his son’s forehead. She turns her head to look up at him, laughing in disbelief. “Look what we did.” She whispers in awe, laughing as he shakes his head.

“I love you.” He whispers back breathlessly, winding his fingers into her hair to press their lips together delicately, pulling back to cup her cheek with a wide smile. He lays his chin on her shoulder as she lifts their little boy up, cradling him gently as he whimpers, the fluid cleared from his lungs.

Her eyes rake over every inch of his features, from the tuft of blonde hair, to his tiny nose, so similar to hers, all the way down to the delicate slope of his lips, almost exactly like Cullen’s. “He’s perfect.” Cullen whispers, laughing as their little boy wraps his tiny hand around one of Cullen’s fingers, whimpering slightly before Ellandra bounces him, murmuring sweet nothings to her baby boy.

v.

“Emerson!” Ellandra calls, sighing deeply as her little boy turns with a cheeky grin, not unlike his fathers. His blonde curls are ruffled by the wind, his deep blue eyes sparkling as he giggles, hiding behind his father as she descends the steps slowly, holding onto her growing bump to find her three year old.

Cullen smirks as she stops in front of him, his hands behind his back as he raises an eyebrow at her, trying not to laugh at their son’s tiny giggles from behind his father’s legs. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen our little boy have you?” She asks him, pursing her lips as Cullen ruefully shakes his head,

He lets out a cough as a high pitched giggle sound from behind him, hiding his grin behind a curled fist. “No I haven’t my love, maybe he ran off to find Bull and his Chargers?” Cullen chuckles when Ellandra raises an eyebrow but nods, turning slowly as she eyes Emerson’s shuffling feet under Cullen’s cloak.

“Perhaps he has, I shall go find Bull now!” She calls, slowly stomping her feet as if she’s walking away, but creeps slowly around Cullen, trying to hide her smile as the large Emerson shaped lump in Cullen’s cloak wriggles.

“Is she gone Papa?” Emerson whispers, albeit much too loudly, but Cullen laughs anyway and tells him that she has. Emerson immediately grabs the bottom of Cullen’s cloak and lifts it up above his head, squealing when he’s met with Ellandra grinning down at him.

“Got you!” she cries, laughing as Emerson squeals again and takes off, darting away from her wriggling fingers, trying to tickle him as he sprints across the yard, squealing and giggling as Ellandra gives chase as fast as she can with her belly.

Cullen simply stands back and laughs, a wide grin stretched across his lips as he watches the three most important people in his life move through the courtyard.

He didn’t think that life could be any more perfect.


End file.
